It Can't be Helped
by Meeksu
Summary: Haru suddenly turns up on Shigure's doorstep, and a phone call from Hatori confirms that the ox might be staying a little longer than a cetain purple haired teen would like. So what's the reason behind this sudden decision...? HaruxYuki. R&R!-Discontinued
1. Chapter 1

Hi-yo! This is the very first fan fiction I have ever written...that I can remember of, anyways. I'm a little new to and all these buttons on the editing page areconfusing me > ; So, I apologise in advance if i mess anything up o-O;; Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! I've seen people put disclaimers on their stories, too, so...

Disclaimer: I don't own it!

...Is that right? .. Anyways, enjoy! And please review! -

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**Chapter 1**

_'Til the cows come home_

" Toooohruuuu!" Shigure's voice wafted its way into the kitchen, where it became mainstream with the rest of the screams rattling around the house.

" BLOODY RAT! JUST SHUDDUP ALREADY!"

" I will, if you will!"

" AH! Yes Shigure- san!" Tohru ducked as she exited the kitchen, as one of Shigures ornaments went hurtling past, dodged easily by the rat, who had been the original recipient.  
" Could you please run down to the store for me? I believe I'm out of printer paper, and I must stay and look after these two little cherubs!" Shigure said pleasantly, eyeing the two teens, who were basically tearing his house apart.

" Oh, of coarse I can!" Tohru replied rather frantically, trying to erase the panic from her face as yet another object whirled towards Yuki, who once again, darted out of the way, letting it shatter against the wall.

" Ah yes…what lovely tenants I have!" Shigure smiled, grasping his hands together under the long sleeves of his yukata, so they were no longer visible.

Tohru gave a nervous laugh,

" Uh…I'll… I'll be off then!" she stated, sprinting for the door, before she had the chance to get in the way of the squabbling duo, that were beginning to move their fight towards the front porch.

The day was working its way into late afternoon, and Shigure had been struggling for peace and quite for a whole of what seemed like days now, that had only turned out to be a maximum of twelve hours. Yuki and Kyo had been fighting all day, over one single comment;

" I know you like Haru, Yuki. It's so obvious a frikin kid could figure that out! And I mean kid as in baby goat!" Kyo had screamed as a comeback for one of Yukis insults, not at all realising the truths behind this… and Yuki wasn't at all pleased. Of coarse, we all know Yuki never starts fights, he simply provokes them, and before long, Kyo was pegging object after object at the rat. So now Shigures lovely, well kept house, had to pay the price of Kyos mistake.  
" BLOODY RAT! Think you're all high and mighty!" Kyo screamed, hoisting…the…table? Up over his head, a large irritation make present on his temple.

" Oh my" Shigure said in slight alarm, " now, now Kyo, we mustn't throw tables across the house, it's bad manners"

" Shut up you damn dog!" Kyo spat, his grip faltering as he tried to hold the large heap of wood above his head, while exhausting most of his energy on yelling.

Yuki sighed, stepping backwards out of his defensive position and slouched his shoulders momentarily as he exhaled,

" I'm going upstairs" he stated, turning on his heels and marching up towards his bedroom, Kyo throwing an absolutely murderous glare at the back of his head.

Shigure sighed, withdrawing back into his office and filing the papers on his desk away. This was just the norm, for the Sohmas.

Tohru quickened her pace as the light in the sky became weaker.

" Newsagent….um, oh, there it is!" scurrying quickly in and out of the corner store, she hitched the large parcel of wrapped paper up onto her hip, and began the trying task of carting it back home, down the now very dark streets. The hairs on the back of her neck bristled at any slight noise, as her paranoia got the better of her, passing down a rather haunted looking road.

"Hey"  
" AH!" almost dropping the paper in her hands, Tohru spun around to see a dark figure stalking towards her, " h-hello"

" Why are you out so late at night?"

" I…um…I, was just getting this for a friend…and…and"

" Shigure sent you out this late at night?"  
" Oh, well… huh?"

The stoic face of Haru poked its way through the shadows, and Tohru let out a sigh of relief as the cow came to a halt in front of her.

" Not good weather to be walking either, looks like it's going to rain any moment now" letting out a yawn, Haru turned his gaze blankly to the pitch black sky that was littered with the smoky outlines of rain filled clouds. Tohru followed this notion, and gazed upwards,

" Ek, I'd better get moving then" the brown haired girl squeaked, taking a step forwards in the opposite direction.  
" Hey, wait"

" Hmm?" Tohru turned to look over her shoulder at the boy,

" Has Hatori called your house yet?"

" Uh…no…why? Tohru blinked

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" Ha'ri! What a pleasant surprise! And to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?" Shigure greeted the dragon happily, pressing the receiver up against his ear. Kyo and Yuki, who had before been staring daggers into each other from across the table, now looked up at the dog, as mumbles came from the other end of the line.

" Ohhhhh, I seeeee" Shigure nodded, raising a hand to his chin in thought, " well, that's not a problem at all! Hatsuharu can stay with us!"

" WHAT?" both the teens behind him were now on their feet, fists clenched. Shigure payed them no attention, however, keeping one ear open for any flying objects. More mumbled instructions were pouring into Shigures ear, of coarse, he gave them little to no attention, and let his brain sensor out all the 'boring' stuff.

" Yes, yes Ha'ri I know…mmhhmmm…mmhmmm…ok! Then it's settled. Now? Oh, well, that's ok, I'm sure Tohru wouldn't mind cooking for one more. Very well then. Take care Ha'ri!" placing the phone back on its stand, he turned to face the other two male tenants of his household -who looked quite ready to haul Shigure through the closest wall- and grinned.

----------------------------------------------------

" Really!"

Haru nodded, his face still expressionless.

" That's wonderful! Oh dear, do I have enough food for everyone?…Haru how much do you eat? Oh, ek…" the brown haired girl stuttered frantically.

" I don't eat much" Haru yawned, placing both his hands into the pockets of his pants.

" Oh, are you sure? …ok then, well, let's head back then!"

And with that, the two teens set off at a leisurely pace down the street, speeding upas small spits of rain began to threaten for a bigger storm.

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" Why the angry faces?" Shigure asked, pulling an exaggerated, sulky face.

" I don't want that damn cow staying here! How long is Hatori going to be away!" Kyo spat, still not quite over his anger of Yukievading every single one of his attacks, and it seemed Shigure had just re-lit the fire.

Yuki had said nothing so far. His expression trying to find an even balance between absolute outrage, and slight worry. He was all too aware of Harus feelings for him, but he just couldn't return them, and when the cow was around, it always made him feel…uncomfortable…

" My, my…it's getting rather late, I hope Tohru's ok." Shigure pondered, sitting himself down at the open front door,

" You didn't answer my question!" Kyo hissed,  
" Oh, not sure how long Ha'ri's going to be out for…few days, weeks, years, who knows"

" GAAAH!"

" You sent miss Honda out at this time of night?" Yuki asked in a stoic tone, not even looking up from the newspaper he had since taken much interest in.

But, Shigure had no time to argue his point, as the said Tohru Honda poked her head around the corner of the front lawn, and Shigure sighed with relief. Following right behind her, was the ever bored looking Hatsuharu, who stared right ahead at the dog, receiving a happy wave from the older man, who removed himself from the door way to let the two in.

Harus eyes connected with Yuki, and Yukis eyes stayed connected with the words in the newspaper, trying his best to ignore the cows presence. Tohru said a quick hello to everyone, before rushing to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

" Ahhh, up to usual standards, my lovely Tohru" Shigure cooed, lifting his head to take in the scent of frying fish and rice that was wafting out into the dining area. Haru now had hold of Yukis arm, his head resting against the teens shoulder, a very dazed, yet happy look spread across his face. Yuki looked thoroughly displeased with this, and Kyo looked even worse. Trying to force back his opinions of disgust, the cat tried to amuse himself with the cutlery that had been placed in front of them. Unfortunately this only made situations worse, as the knife was stabbed fair into the woodwhen Haru leant a little further into Yukis side.

" GOD! Would you two just get a frikin room!"

"…"

" Dinner's ready!" Tohru sung, as she bought dish upon dish of food out, and placed it in front of the group, trying to ignore the now very tense atmosphere that had followed Kyos comment. They ate in silence, Haru glaring at Kyo, Yuki glaring at Kyo, and Kyo glaring back at both of them with the strength of two people. Shigure and Tohru sweat dropped. Maybe this…wasn't such a good idea after all…?

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Thaaaat's it for the first chapter folks! Hope ya liked it! Pleeeease review, and I shall upload the second chapter if people want to read it -! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Don't own it

Hi again! Chapter 2 is now up! Sorry it took me so long to update, I've been busy with all these damn assignments that my lovely, wonderful school has been giving me. That, and I've been suffering from writers block e.e; So do forgive this chapter. I don't like it that much o.o but, because of my supportive friends' encouragment, ( " If you delete this story, I'll chop your head off, and stick it on a pole in my front yard!") and your reviews ! I decided to continue writing. Anyways, without further ado; enjoy, read and review!

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**Chapter 2**

_A rainy day, and a sliding puzzle_

The rain was rapping up against the windows, and hammering down on the roof, making it almost impossible to hear anything anybody was saying. But the fighting had since ceased, as it came into the first whole week that Haru had snuggled his way into Shigures household. Yuki was sitting up in his room, on the windowsill, watching the heavy water droplets pelt down upon the ground outside, tying to tune out the very loud sounds of Kyo blowing his nose. Yuki adjusted himself to lean up against the window frame, resting his head against the wood.

" Hey, Yuki" the rats bedroom door slid open, and a smiling Haru stepped in.

Yuki sighed, pulling his knees closer to his chest. Haru moved over to stand next to the window, and took a moment to gaze out at the rain, before turning his eyes back to his favourite person.  
" Yes?" Yuki finally replied, looking up at the drowsy teen beside him.  
" Tohru said lunch was ready" Haruinformed himlazily, shuffling a little closer to the boy, who edged further out onto the sill.

Haru sighed.

_He still feels uncomfortable around me…? _

_**Well then MAKE him more comfortable,** _came a rather forceful voice in the back of Harus mind, which he tried to suppress.

_No. I can't do that…stay…back…the-_

_**But just look at him, all…out of it, and…**_

_NO!_

Before he could stop it, a black Haru had forced himself to the front of the teens mind, and taken hold of Yukis arm. The rat had lost count of how many times this had happened, and turned bored eyes to his cousin.  
" …Ha ru… …!" Yukis expression changed rather rapidly, as he realised this wasn't white Haru he was dealing with anymore.

Haru smirked, taking hold of Yuki around the waist with one arm, and pulling him closer, in from the sill, where the rain was now reaching for him.  
" why so quiet?"

" Haru…get…off!" Yuki hissed, trying to free himself from the boys grip, but, at the same time, keeping in mind he was sitting on the windowsill of a two story house.

" Hey," _cough_ "Yuki," The bedroom door slid open, and a very drowsy Kyo stepped in, " do you have any tissue-… …never mind"

"…" Yuki shut his eyes in silent frustration as his bedroom door closed again, andthe sound of Kyos footsteps stalking back off to his room echoed down the hall.

Haru smirked,

" He's just jealousbecause you're _mine_"  
" I am _not _yours!" Yuki yelled, using his free hand to push Haru away, while the other held him put on the sill. Unfortunately, when someone has you by the waist, an overthrow of bodyweight to one side, usually causes the person holding onto you, to tighten their grip, as to keep themselves upright. His arm still around Yuki, Haru lost his footing and fell backwards, pulling the rat down with him. There was a loud crash, and the two of them hit the floor.

" Sounds like they're having fun" Shigure giggled, sneaking past the rats bedroom door on the way to the laundry, where he believed he had missed the call for dirty washing by Tohru, who was now pegging up the clothes at an alarming rate.

Yuki opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw, was the dazed expression of Haru. The white and black haired teen had his hands on either side of Yukis head to keep himself from landing _right _on top of the rat, and his legs thrown over either side of the pale haired boys hips. Yuki laid perfectly still, staring up at the blinking Haru, who only just seemed to realise the situation he was in. Luckily for Yuki, it appeared that the shock had turned Haru white again, and the worst white Haru could do was…

" Yuki!" the cow exclaimed, smiling happily, he wrapped his arms around the boys neck, rubbing his faceaffectionatelyagainst the rats, who looked somewhat relieved.

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" I HATE the rain" Kyo grumbled, plodding downstairs with a tissue held over his nose. The cat hated rain, it was a well known fact. The sound of it made his skin crawl, and the effect it had on his health just pissed him off.

" And WHY do I have to put up with _those_ two?"

" Oh? Who's that, Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked, poking her head around the kitchen door frame,

" No one" Kyo muttered, sitting himself down at the table with a sour look on his face. It was bad enough that it had been raining for the past few days, let alone the fact that he couldn't get any sleep now, because Harus continuous attempts on Yuki were always so…LOUD.

" Ah, Kyo!" Shigure stated, walking silently down the stairs, " you look irritated"

" YES! And you're making it worse!" Kyo spat, glaring up at the dog, who simply smiled;  
" At least my house is temporarily safe now, with this rain" Shigure snickered to himself as he stepped into his office.  
" Ah, Kyo-kun, you're not feeling well?" Tohru squeaked, moving into the dining area while lunch boiled away on the stove, " oh of coarse! The rain!"

" No, im fine!"  
" Hmmm…oh! I know! Whenever I feel under the weather, I like to try solving puzzles! I got this one yesterday!" Tohru nodded, reaching into her pocket and retrieving a sliding puzzle. Kyo simply raised an eyebrow at her. Since when was Tohru ever under the weather? And since _when_ did she have enough brains to solve a sliding puzzle? Handing the black and white puzzle to the cat, Tohru smiled;  
" Good luck, Kyo-kun!", and she dashed off towards the kitchen to check on the food.

Kyo sat there for a moment, staring at the small piece of plastic in his hands.

" I…guess it couldn't hurt…" so, for the remainder of the afternoon, the cat sat in slight amusement, sliding the panels of plastic around the board they were fixed to. It was a rather strange sight for the rest of the family; Kyo…sitting…without talking, or irritating anyone, or… bringing utter destruction to the house… Whoa!

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Haru yawned, pulling the front door open, after glancing over his shoulder at the cat, who was twitching slightly, the puzzle held right up to his face. Sliding the door closed behind him, Haru sat himself down on the front porch, just out of the rains reach. He had spent the remainder of his afternoon sitting on the windowsill of Yukis room while the purple eyed teen slept, having finally collapsed out of fatigue of not getting any sleep for the past…five nights? Of coarse, for at least three of those five nights, the rat had simply stayed awake due to paranoia...

And since Yuki hadn't woken up, Haru thought it best to leave the room before his black side got the better of him again and disturbed the princes sleep. He had been considering whether to tell Yuki… He'd never told the rat those three words he had been longing to tell him. Sure, he was excessively clingy, and always hanging around Yuki. The pale haired teen probably just thought of it as an infatuation, but, that wasn't it. Haru really did _love_ Yuki. He wanted to be able to talk to the rat without having him move away, he wanted to be close to him, without the boy getting so frustrated. It just seemed no matter how hard he tried, Yuki just wouldn't let the defences around him down. No matter _how_ hard Haru tried to penetrate them. But, when god closes a door -so they say- he always opens a window.

So now, Haru just had to search for this window, but, where should he start? How do you get close to someone who's continuously pushing people away?

" I hate metaphorical stuff…" Haru muttered, pulling his knees towards his chest as the rain lashed out towards him.

" BLOODY PUZZLE!" a tearing noise sounded to Harus right, and the small sliding puzzle slit the paper door and landed with a light clutter near Harus hand.

" …?"

Turning the piece of plastic over, he saw the puzzle hadn't yet been completed ( poor Kyo…). Giving it a perplexed look, he prodded a few squares around, tilting his head to the side in confusion as the picture became more and more distorted with every piece moved. It was somewhat addictive.  
" Ah! The puzzle!" Tohrus voice breached the front door, and Haru lifted his head. Within seconds, a head of brown hair had bounded out onto the veranda.

" Oh, Haru-kun!" Tohru squeaked in surprise, " Ah, you found it! Well, at least you got it then!"

" …Huh?"  
" It's a welcoming present!" She explained happily.

Haru tilted his head to the side. It was just like Tohru to do something like this.

" Oh, thank you" Haru blinked, giving her a brief smile of thanks before returning his gaze to the puzzle, where he shuffled the pieces around again. Tohru grinned and scuttled back through the door, leaving it open for the grey eyed teen to soak up some of the heat drifting out of the kitchen. Haru thought it a rather odd gift. But, regardless, he sat in silence, a bemused look fixed on his otherwise expressionless face, as he began to get shape out of the jumble of colours.

…He would leave those other problems…to deal withl ater.

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Chapter 2 done! Yay! Hope you liked it. I've just started re- reading the furuba manga. I don't think I've ever read all of it ( I'm borrowing them from a friend). I've seen all the anime episodes, but, they leave a lot of stuff out in them, apparently. I'm up to volume 6 at the moment, and I aim to read up to at least volume 11 by the end of the weekend! ( hopefully!) Oh, and if you can think of any ideas you want me to include in this fic, don't hesitate to suggest them! Cos I'd love to write 'em! Okies, well, please review, and I'll look in to writting chapter 3! Ciao! 


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: -sigh- how many times do I have to repeat this? I DON'T OWN IT!

Chapter 3! . I'm so slack at updating, I know. Terribly sorry! But, thank you for your reviews! Glad ya like it n.n! Now lies the problem of me running out of ideas for it e.e I'm pretty sure I had a chapter plan somewhere around my room…now I just have to locate it, under my piles of books, and clothes, and rubbish…and…it may never be found. Anyway! I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy! R&R!

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**Chapter 3**

_A job proposal _

When he thoughtabout it, his 'mission' was somewhat like a sliding puzzle. Every time he made a move, the circumstances would get a little more confusing. A little more frustrating. And yet, at the same time, a little clearer.

It seemed he had spent far too long on the puzzle the previous night, that the damned thing had slipped into his dreams. It was almost like one of those really addictive video games, where, when you can't get past a level, you sit up ALL night, trying to think of a strategy, trying to think of how you can kick that boss monsters ass into next year!…ahem…except, the same case, only with a small piece of plastic.

The things that run through your head in the morning never usually make sense. The little voices in your head competing for mind space, shouting at you to either get food, pull your feet back under the covers, making a mental note to kill your siblings for screaming at this hour of the morning, or to _shut the alarm clock up!_

Harus hand flung out from beneath the blankets, and slammed down upon the small button on the screaming alarm clock. The silence that followed left a ringing in his ears, but he quickly drowned that out with the ruffling of the feather doona as he sat up and stretched.

---------------------------------

There was a knock at the door, and Yuki lifted himself from the floor to answer it.

" No, Yuki- don't-" a slightly scared looking Shigure rushed out towards the rat, whose hand was on the door. Too late. As soon as the first inch of light from the outside world was exposed, Yuki was saved the trouble of opening it any further, as it was torn from his grip.

" SHI-GU-RE!"

" Mi-chan! So wonderful to see you!" Shigure smiled weakly, taking a few steps back as the editor stalked towards him,

" Are you TRYING to give me a heart attack! I've been DYING of stress for the past WEEK! And here you are, sitting around like some sort of lazy, frigin DOG!" the woman screamed, tugging at her hair.

" Ahahaha…"

" Yes, it's what he's best at" Yuki muttered, sitting himself back down.

" Don't worry Mi-chan, everything's under control!" Shigure smiled, leading his on-the-verge-of-tears editor into his office, leaving the door wide open, in case there were need for escape.

" Mmmm, what's all the screaming about?" a half asleep, and shirtless Haru made his way downstairs, sitting himself opposite the rat, who was now looking wide awake.

Surprisingly, Haru hadn't even _tried _anything the previous night, and Yuki was slightly suspicious. Had he finally given up? Or… was it just a one off? Hmmm…So then why…did Yuki have this slight sinking feeling in his chest when the cow hadn't flung himself upon him on first sight, like every other morning? _Had_ he…given up…?

" Shigures editor's here" Yuki stated, picking up the newspaper Shigure had abandoned.

" Ah… I see" Haru replied, as if this explained everything (which, sadly enough, it did).Tohru, who forever seemed to be in the kitchen, wandered out with a pile of toast on a plate.

" Morning!" she greeted them gleefully. Both boys smiled up at her, and she sat down, placing the butter and jam on the table along with the large plate of toast. They ate in silence, trying to ignore the death threats and screaming coming from the open door of Shigures study.

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The morning dragged on fairly slowly, with the occasional entertainment of Shigure attempting to escape Mitsu.

And as midday came- Shigure had finally been able to shake his editor off- the older man slumped down at the table where the rest of the family had made themselves comfortable. The dog took a while to look around. The house was still lying in ruins from Kyo and Yukis previous squabble. Tohru had _attempted _to clean up, but found it impossible to _keep _clean, as either the cat, rat, cow, _or_ boar would once again tear it apart in an outburst.

"Ohhhh dear this place is looking most unattractive" Shigure sighed, eyeing the large hole on the lounge room wall.  
" Yeah, well its all that stupid _rats _fault!" Kyo yelled, pointing the finger of blame at Yuki, who sneered,  
" I wasn't the one tossing furniture at people now, was I?"

Kyo let out a low growl, before turning his vision stubbornly towards the front door, that was now impossible to actually close; Mi's hand marks still etched into the wood.

" Well, _I'm _not paying for it" Shigure stated, " You'll have to find jobs and pay for repairs yourself!"

" No way in HELL am I getting a job!" Kyo screamed in protest.  
" Of coarse not, no one in their right mind would employ you, Kyo" Shigure said simply, " And Haru's not exactly one to feel safe letting into the work force…"

All eyes turned to Yuki, who sighed,  
" So, in other words you mean ' Yuki has to get a job and pay for it'? "

" Oh! Don't worry Shigure-san! I can pay for repairs! I just got a pay check today and-"

" No no Tohru, Yuki's a big boy now, he has to learn to take responsibilities" Shigure nodded, turning to the job search page in the newspaper and handing it to Yuki.

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No luck…none at all. Just about every job he had applied for, had either 'just gotten someone else in', or required someone with specific talents, such as speaking English, or lifting heavy objects.

" Hey...Yuki…?"

" Yeah?" Yuki looked up from the paper, where red marker now crossed out failed attempts-just about every job advertised-.

" Mind if I join you?"

Yuki blinked up at the boy, before nodding briefly.

Haru sat himself down on the edge of the bed and peered over at the paper,

" Any luck today?"

" No, not really. I don't even want a job, I should be focusing on studies more then this"

" Hmm…you know, I really don't mind getting a job" Haru yawned, still looking down at the paper.  
"No, Shigure was right, your black side might be a bit much for your work mates to handle" Yuki stated, closing the ruffled pages of the newspaper and setting it aside. It was now late evening, and the gang had already eaten dinner. Shigure had fallen asleep on the couch, Tohru was reading happily in her room, and Kyo was up on the roof. Everything was eerily quiet, and Yuki shifted uncomfortably on the quilt, watching Haru out of the corner of his eyes, who was simply staring out the window.

_He's so CUTE!_ came Harus thoughts at random, and the cow gave a cheesy grin

Yuki quickly darted his eyes towards the window and moved a little more to the side, as he caught a glimpse of Harus expression.

He still felt slightly uncomfortable…but…it felt different now…like…butterflies were competing against each other in the pits of his stomach, matching off against who could pull the best, and most aero dynamic tricks. But at the same time, his head was spinning. A million opinions and thoughts racing through his mind, but too fast to pick up more than the bitter after taste of emotions from them.

_Ah, pfft. I think too much_

"What's wrong?" Haru questioned, his gaze following Yuki, as the boy edged his way up towards the head of the bed.

" Nothing" Yuki replied rather quickly, as if Haru might be able to see his thoughts if he let them occupy his mind any longer.

Haru simply tilted his head to the side with a puzzled expression. Yuki returned a glance, darting his eyes to the side almost immediately as his gaze connected with Harus. The cow just had such gentle eyes…

Yuki frowned slightly as he gazed up and out at the glimmering stars that were now starting to push their way through the black curtain of the sky. Maybe he _did_ think too much. Haru had been like this since…well, since as far back as he could remember. You'd think one would be used to it by now. But, you'd also come to wonder if one would be impacted or influenced by this behaviour…by now…

_No, not in the slightest! I'd never be able to-_

" Well, time for bed, then" Haru smiled, having seen Yukis facial expression turn to a frustrated one. Haru had always been quite intuitive, and that expression never meant something good. Yuki was bought back from his thoughts as Haru lifted himself from the bed. Nodding, Yuki shifted onto his knees to draw the covers back. Haru pulled the futon out from under the rats bed, and made himself comfortable.  
" Night, Yuki" Haru mumbled, letting out a long yawn, before pulling the covers up over his head.

" …Night" Yuki replied, his eyes slowly closing as sleep began to engulf his senses.

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Yuki plodded downstairs, his hair sticking out at all angles, and his legs still trying to get use to the idea of walking again. Squinting into the sun of the new morning, Yuki adjusted his vision as two figures came into clear focus, and oh how he wished he could simply turn on his heels and run back up those stairs. Unfortunately, he had been spotted.

" AH! Good morning Yuki! You're looking as radiant as ever, dear brother!" Ayame smiled, turning to the side to greet the thoroughly displeased looking teen.

" What are _you _doing here!" Yuki hissed, glaring down at the silver haired snake who had been chatting happily away to the dog.

" Aya and I were just discussing your recent condition" Shigure explained.

" Where's everyone else?" Yuki cut in, taking a few cautious steps towards the kitchen.

" Oh, they went to help Tohru with the shopping" Shigure replied offhandedly

" Yes! You're looking for a job, I belive, Yuki?" Ayame asked thoughtfully, completely ignoring the change of topic

" Yes, I am"

" Wonderful! You'll come and work for me! It will give us a chance to BOND! We can deepen our brotherly love as we work hand in hand to make peoples lives brighter!"

" …. …No way in hell"

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Poooor Yuki... ... well, that concludes chapter 3! I've finished reading up to chapter 12 in the Furuba manga! It's starting to get all...melo dramatic! Waaa. And my friend that's been supplying me with the manga is slacking off, and hasn't been updating her collection, so, I'm being held in suspence e.e It's KILLING me! Anywhos , don't forget to review! And I'll start writting chapter 4 now! -toddles off to find her word document- Ja ne! n.n 


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Wonderbus Japan was so fuuuun! But that has nothing to do with this! ahem; Don't own it.

Lil' ol' me again! -holds up chapter 4- here it is! No, I havn't found the chapter plots yet either, and I don't intend on cleaning my room anytime soon…so…I'll make it up from here on out! ( I already had chapters 1,2 and 3 in my head and ready to write! ) Oh, and someone pointed out a fact I missed while writing chapter 3. Yuki's filthy rich already! He doesn't NEED a job!…but... for the sake of this fanfic, let's just completely forget the money supply from the main house .! Anyway, Don't forget to review! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 4**

_All in good intentions_

" Come, come now Yuki, I'm not paying you to stand around and do nothing" Ayame stated, piling large amounts of material into Mines arms, " I only ask you to do _one_ thing, and you flatly refuse to do your job!"  
" I'm not doing it" Yuki repeated for what seemed the hundredth time that…_minute_.

Ayame sighed, " If you weren't my brother, I surely would have fired you by now. Come on, all you have to do is stand there"

" Didn't you just say…."

" Don't worry, I'm sure I can aid you with this" Mine gave a devilish smile, and she began to advancetowards Yuki, who stepped backwards with wide eyes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

" I hate you" Yuki hissed.

" You look _gorgeous_, don't you think, Mine?"  
" Yes Ayame-san, stunning!"

Yuki muttered something obscene under his breath, before opening his eyes to glare at his older brother, who was looking at him in admiration.

" If Shigure wasn't threatening to kick me out, I wouldn't even BE here! And I don't see how this is classified as work!" Yuki argued, tugging at the frills around his neck.

" It's part of my job, Yuki" Ayame nodded, drawing back to get a better look, " Tighter around the hips Mine, and…a little tighter around the chest"

The assistant nodded obediently, walking around behind Yuki and tugging on the ribbons at the back of the long dress Ayame had forced the rat into. Yuki looked most indignant. At least no one else knew about this…not Tohru, not Kyo, and thank GOD, not even Haru…ek…what would Haru say…? He could just see the smug look on the cows face now…argh.

" Good day my dear brother. Do stay safe on your journey home!" came the overly ecstatic shouts of the snake, who was clinging to the dress the rat had managed to wriggle free of.

With a pay slip in his hand, Yuki opened the door to Ayames shop and stepped out, ignoring the giggles coming from Mine, for what reason she was laughing, was unknown to him. Of coarse, he couldn't see the back of his head, either…and on the back of his head, sat a rather visible, extremely pink ribbon, tied neatly into a bow.

--------------------------------------------

" I-hate-him-so-much" Yuki grumbled as he made his way upstairs towards his room. The people occupying the lounge room ( Kyo and Shigure) fixing their eyes in disbelief to the rats new accessory. As soon as the pale haired teen had ascended out of view, Shigure burst into laughter, while Kyo, lacking the knowledge to see the humour in this situation, simply gaped open mouthed at the empty stair case.

" Yuki!" a flury of black and white hair was the only thing the rat saw as he opened the door to his room, and he now lay flat on his back in the middle of the hallway, Hatsuharu beaming down at him.

" Hello, Haru" Yuki greeted, wriggling his way out from underneath the boy, whose expression dulled slightly.  
" How was your day?" both boys forwarded into the room, Yuki placing the small check in his hand, onto his desk.

" Good" was all Yuki said, his back to the happily dazed teen.

" That's!….good….you…have… you…" Haru trailed off as his eyes fixed themselves on the newest addition to Yukis hair,

" Yu…ki…you have a…"

" What?" Yuki spun around, to see Haru sitting on his bed, trying his hardest not to giggle.  
" You...have a" Haru snorted, " You have a ribbon in your hair"

" WHAT!" Yukis hands flew to his head, where they searched for the said object, that was sure to have already gotten him into a lot of trouble without him even _noticing_.

" No no, it looks good on you" Haru smiled, getting to his feet to aid the franticly blushing teen, who still couldn't locate the bow.

" I can't believe this" Yuki mumbled, letting his arms fall to his sides, closing his eyes to take a deep breath, before continuing his search. Haru stepped forward, until he was inches from the rat, reaching a hand up and over Yukis shoulders, gently pulling the boys arms down with the other.

" H-hey" Yuki stuttered, as Harus hands came to a rest on the back of his head, " what're you doing?"  
" Here" Haru took a step back, still smiling sheepishly, he handed the pink ribbon to Yuki, who snatched it from the cows grip and hid it from view. But that wasn't settling Harus curiosity.  
" Why did you have a ribbon in your hair?" Haru questioned, moving back a little further to take a seat on the bed.

Yuki didn't reply. He couldn't. How was he supposed to explain this, without having to explain the fact he was now working for _Ayame_. At Ayames _store…_ in the _dresses_ Ayame made…it…was…HUMILIATING!

" None of your business" Yuki murmured, dropping the ribbon into the bin on his way to his desk.

Haru slouched his shoulders in disappointment, his eyes still following Yuki around the room.

" ...Tell me"

" No, it's none- of- your- business" Yuki reiterated, stuffing the pay check into the desk drawer, hiding the writing on it -that had small love hearts shaped around it-, and Ayames signature that was written neatly at the bottom.  
" Damn…Ayame" Yuki twitched  
" Who?"

" No one"

" Why won't you tell me? You think I'll laugh or something?" Haru asked, still looking up at Yuki.

" What?"  
" I promise not to! I…just...want you to talk to me, to be...able to talk to me" Haru stuttered, mentally kicking himself for how stupid he must have sounded.

Yuki frowned slightly, but more out of thought then anything.  
" Well…" Yuki began, sitting himself down next to the cow, his eyes sliding in the opposite direction, " I…"

_I can't believe I'm about…to even tell him this_

" I've been working for Ayame" he muttered.

" …I knew that" Haru blinked  
" You…What!"

" I knew that. Shigure told me the first day you left for work" Haru explained in a happy tone.

Yuki simply sat there, looking like someone had just slapped him in the face.  
" What's wrong?" Haru questioned, tilting his head after a few minutes silence, Yukis brain trying to process the anger, shock and embarrassment running through his veins.  
" You don't…you havnt…told.."

" Nope, I havn't told anyone" Haru smiled, crossing his legs on the bed.

Yuki sighed. If this got out to Kyo, it'd all be over.And, Harus reaction, had been...less...violating then he had expected, too.  
" Good" The pale haired teen looked sideways at the smiling Haru, whose eyes were closed blissfully, " ..Thanks. At least I can trust _someone_ around here…"

_Shigure's gonna die… _

Haru opened his eyes at these words, and he looked in slight shock, down at the rat, who had his eyes closed in silent pondering, plotting Shigures demise.

'_At least I can **trust **someone around here'_

The rat had no idea how much those words meant to him…

" Scoooool tomorrow kiddies! Into bed!" A half asleep Shigure pushed the bedroom door open, a drowsy grin plastered on his face. Yuki opened his eyes.

" Ah, _Shigure_" he smiled venomously, getting up from the bed and striding towards the dog. Now to put theory to practical. Oh, Shigure was gonna be _sore _tomorrow.

* * *

There we go, some weekend reading for you all! . Just as a warning now, I've been swamped with assignments! So chapter 5 MIGHT be a little late... but I will try and update a.s.a.p! -sigh- nothing to ramble about today, my week has been rather un-eventful, which is a pitty, because I luuuurve to ramble! o.o Aaaaanyways, have a good weekend, all! -wave- 


	5. Chapter 5

-wave wave- Long time no see, ay? I know, I'm a terrible, terrible, horrible, neglectful person! And I'd apologize repeatedly, if it wouldn't take up so much writing space, and hurt my hands. But…chapter 5 is finally here! How long has it been since I updated?

Oh, completely off topic, but I must ramble! I ordered the manga 'Loveless'! Anyone heard of it? If you havn't, look it up on YouTube. Havn't heard of 'YouTube'? Look it up on Google xD Anyway, really cute! Anime confused me slightly with its ramblings of a story line that is probably made clearer in the manga, but I luff it nonetheless!

Hmmm…I feel slightly nauseous from the 2 minute noodles I just ate…Oh, ha! Anyway, enjoy! And Purdy please review! ( Just a note, I think Fanfiction hates me, because it keeps changing the spelling I fix, so, there are bound to be a good deal of spelling errors in here)

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_Rat Race_

A flood of students swarmed through the hall. Mondays were always a living hell, and this Monday was no exception. In fact, in the rats opinion, this was the worst kind of Monday imaginable.

It was sports carnival day at Kaibara again. And he knew, as soon as he stepped out that door to join the rest of his peers on the main oval, he'd be swarmed by half the schools girl population, all fighting overeach other, just to catch a glimpse of him in short pants. It was rather sad, really…

Pushing his way past the last few people blocking the front door, he descended the stairs and walked out into the crisp winter air of the school yard. He was actually quite relived when he saw Haru striding towards him.

"Yuki!" the cow greeted gleefully, coming to a halt in front of the rat, who smiled.

"Morning, Haru"

"Yuki-kun! Haru-kun!" an ecstatic Tohru jogged to a stop in front of the duo, her sports uniform also on show. Her long hair was tied back in two neat pig- tails, and her never fading smile to accompany them.

"Good morning, Honda- san" Yuki greeted, his eyes darting to the side, to the small congregation forming a few meters away. All of them girls. All of them whispering excitedly to one another and glancing in his direction. This could only mean one thing, and this one thing was bad.

"Uh…we'd better get to the starting line. Don't want to miss the race" Yuki smiled nervously, beginning his walk towards the long white line that was still being drawn down by one of the teachers.

"There you are, you stupid rat" the familiar mocking voice of Kyo met the pale haired teen's ears, and his defenses immediately sprung to attention.

"And here I was thinking you'd have learnt your lesson" he replied in a calm tone.

"Ha! Neither of us won last time, rat boy! That damn cow there interrupted us! Lucky he did, too. Your pride might have been hurt!" Kyo smirked.

"Care to put your money where your mouth is?" Yuki sighed, stepping up to the line, where the rest of the boys were assembling.

"Damn straight! I'm gonna win this time, ya hear me!"  
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Haru strode up beside the squabbling two, a very dull look on his face. He wasn't particularly fond of races. He wasn't particularly fond of having to put up with Kyo's bickering. And he ALSO wasn't particularly fond of the fact that now; he wouldn't be able to run alongside Yuki.

**Damn Kyo…Always getting in my way!**

The whistle blew, and the whole group scattered. Some taking off at a sprint, while others hung back, trying to make it look like they were at least attempting.

Regardless to say, Kyo and Yuki took off at lightning speed, completely disregarding the fact that the race was a good five kilometers long.

"Give it up rat boy! I'm gonna win this time! Then I'm gonna get into the zodiac, and RUB IT IN YOUR FACE!" Kyo sneered, not removing his eyes from the road ahead of him. Yuki didn't bother with a reply, he saw no point in wasting oxygen on it. He'd expected just that, from the cat; to waste all his energy on teasing him about winning, rather then actually focusing on finishing the race, and rubbing it in his face _then_. No logic ran through that creature's head, honestly.

He hadn't however, expect to see Haru run up in front of them. Both him and Kyo had to double take, as the black and white haired boy kept going, _gaining_ speed, and not tiring. It wasn't until the boy looked over his shoulder, that they understood what was fuelling him.

"Too slow, kitty cat" black Haru shouted.

The hair on the back of the cat's neck bristled, hit teeth gritted. He would have picked up the pace, had he not been so out of breath already, and had there not been a rather loud scream behind him. It would have seemed that the girls had started their race now. They had all seen Yuki take off, and they had ALL practically half killed themselves to get up that track as fast as they possibly could. Yuki gave a wide eyed look over his shoulder, at the advancing gang of girls.

_Oh god…this'll only end in me transforming, if they get their hands on me…!_

What a sad case of events, that it was at that moment, that panic, mixed with lack of oxygen, triggered the boys chest to constrict. This seemedall toofamiliar.Gasping for air, the boy continued, only his pace had dropped to a walk, and he now felt quite groggy from the lack of air.

Turning into a rat in front of basically the entire school, wasn't- and never ideally would be- on his list of things to do. But…seemed it was now! Yuki closed his eyes, half in fear, half from exhaustion as the girls came up to the corner. They'd be sure to spot him soon. Haru had stopped running, as had Kyo. The cat was looking with terror at the shrieking girls approaching them, and Haru was looking down at Yuki. The area around them had no buildings, no walls to hide behind, just a considerably steep hill.

That was enough for Haru, as he stepped swiftly forwards, taking hold of Yuki's arm. Surprisingly the rat didn't struggle. Not that he could if he wanted to. He was now feeling so light headed he could hardly keep his eyes open. As the girls rounded the corner, Haru walked towards the sloping hill, Yuki following behind, led by the hand. Looking down at the ground below them, Haru nodded. Pulling the pale haired boy closer to him, he slipped an arm around his waist, and dropped down below the level ground, out of sight, his spare hand taking hold of a protruding rock.

Kyo had been so busy watching, he had forgotten to find safety for himself. But by the time he noticed this fact, it was too late. The storm of girls came charging towards him, hungry eyes fixed on the road between them and their precious Yuki. Kyo, just happened to be in the way. It was lucky they hadn't seen the prince and Haru take cover from them. So their one track minds telling them to press onwards in search for the love of their lives, Kyo was trampled without a second thought to his safety or well being.

Haru watched carefully as the last of the girls disappeared from site around the next bend, before his eyes returned to the boy that had wrapped his arms around the ox's waist to prevent himself from falling. Having returned to his white frame of mind at the threat to Yuki's safety, he was now finding it very hard to fight his black side off again. The pale haired boys face was flushed from his rising temperature, and his breathing had become considerably shallower.

"Come on, we need-" The ox hoisted himself further up the hill, clinging to rocks as grips, " - to get you home" upon reaching the top of the hill, he straightened himself up, Yuki still clinging to him for support. Kyo looked like a rug. Sprawled out flat on the ground. Foot markings printed all over the cats back, he managed to peel himself from the road and stand upright.

"I'm taking Yuki home" Haru stated, scooping the barely conscious Yuki into his arms.

"Eh?" Kyo's eyes fell upon the rat, "Oohh. Well, I guess this means I win!"

"Damn…well…doesn't. Stupid…cat…" came a barely audible reply from the purple eyed boy. Before the cat could reply, a cloud of smoke had filled the air around Yuki. Seconds later, Haru was holding a small white rat, and a pile of clothing. He sorted the two apart, untangling the creatures small limbs from the material, and holding him to his chest. The clothes thrown over his shoulder, the ox set off down the road without another word.

-----------------------------

The door to Shigure's house slammed open minutes later, and Haru stepped in.

The owner to the now pristine dwelling, had his head buried in the newspaper,

"Ah, there you are Ay-" the dog lifted his head to see…well, not the person he had been expecting… "-Haru! And… Yuki? My my, what happened here?"

Haru wasted no time with explanations, instead, he marched up the stairs, and towards the rat's bedroom.

"Ah dear, where's Ha'ri when you need him?" Shigure got to his feet, placing his newspaper on the table, before heading towards the kitchen to search for medication.

Haru pulled the covers back on the bed, slipping the small rodent comfortably under them.

"Sorry, I can't do anything else" Haru said softly, pulling the covers back up towards the rats mouth. Yuki just looked so _cute_. His eyes still fixed on the small creature; he sat himself down on the side of the bed.

_Poof_

Haru blinked a few times as the smoke cleared. The human form of Yuki now lay in the rats place, his eyes closed in a restless unconsciousness.

Haru smiled down at the boy, placing a hand on his forehead to check his temperature, that had risen considerably.

"Heeeere we go!" Shigure pushed the door open, striding towards the bed with a small packet.

"Oi!" a shout came from downstairs, that could only be Kyos.

Haru stood promptly from the bed, and made his way out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Shh. Yuki's in there" Haru informed the cat firmly, sitting himself down at the table, "Shigure's giving him medication"

Kyo rolled his eyes, following the notion and sitting down opposite the ox.

"You don't seem all that worried" Haru pointed out the obvious.

"Why should I be?"  
"Hmm.. No reason"

Kyo shifted in what seemed like discomfort, pausing for a brief moment, before continuing,

"He'll be alright. He always seems to miraculously recover"

Shigure descended the stairs, smiling happily,

"Well, sorry Kyo, but- he's going to live" sitting himself down, the dog resumed his reading, ignoring the cats groan of annoyance.

Haru got straight to his feet, making his way happily back upstairs. Sliding the door open silently, he placed himself on the side of the bed again. The pale haired teen now had his eyes half open, looking out the window with dull interest.

"Feeling any better?" Haru whispered, watching as the rat slowly fixed his blurry vision on him.

Yuki nodded groggily in reply, unable to actually speak at the current moment, he smiled in thanks up at the grey eyed ox.

"No problem" Haru muttered in reply.

Haru always had this way of knowing exactly what Yuki was thinking, or feeling. In a sense, it was rather creepy…. but… in some cases, it was also comforting.

To have someone that has given so much to you, without expecting anything in return, would undoubtedly make you feel guilty…

Which was why Yuki didn't bother moving away, when Haru settled himself down beside him.

* * *

Yay for fillers! Yes, this was a rather boring…extremely pointless…not even RELEVANT filler chapter…thingy… -nod- I was going to put black Haru in there, but decided against it. Aaaallll in good time. 

So why, after…a few months (?) of not updating, am I leaving you to read a filler? That's…a wonderful question! Well, for starters, I'm still figuring out a story line. Secondly, that story line can't start 'till a little later. Once again, I apologize for the long wait, and the chapter! Forgive me! Anyways, I'm off! I'm going to attempt to co-operate with my brain and write this next chapter. I can't promise anything, but, there shouldn't be such a long wait for an update this time, unless writers block finds me again- because I'm on holidays! ( whoot!)

-wave-


	6. Chapter 6

Aaaaand don't kill me for taking at least 5 months to update oO! I'd give you the full reason, but it would go on and on forever! So...in a nutshell- ( I only _just_ figured out what that meant _today_! Which is sad .;; )- I was lazy, then got my laptop stolen, which as replaced by a horrible, evil, completely dissagreeable desktop computer ( which I called Sparky!...original, aren't I?). Which I will throw out the window at any given moment now! And then I found this story lingering in my files ( I'd saved them all to disc beforehand, thank god!), and decided to write. Oh, I'd like to thank Purple Ajah for editing this for me! She did a great job 3 So hopefully my writing will make more sense now xD Please remember to review, as they'll inspire me to update faster! Well, hope ya like the chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Snow_

"Ha'ri has a mobile, can you believe it! To think of all the times I could have called him in the middle of the day…to wish him well…" Shigure sighed, lifting the tea cup to his mouth.

The rest of the household were also seated at the kotatsu, fighting each other for space whilst soaking up the warmth. It was nearing spring now, but the weather seemed to be enjoying itself at their expense - throwing chilling temperatures at them. Summer seemed a long way away. Today it must have been feeling particularly cheeky, as it was now flinging snow at them.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Yuki grumbled, his eyes still half closed. Not even a 5 degree temperature could jolt this rat awake.

"Because I just called the good doctor, and he gave me firm instructions to keep you home today!" Shigure smiled, calmly taking a sip from his tea.

Yuki blinked for a moment. Information took longer for him to process in the morning,

"Why?"

"Cold weather, plus symptoms of asthma don't mix, according to Ha'ri…"

The dog was distracted as a clutter of plates came through the door, Tohru coming into view behind them.

"Good morning, Yuki- kun! Did you just wake up?" She asked, setting the plates down.

"Good morning Honda- san. Indeed I did."

"Ah, well, breakfast is on its way!" The brown haired girl darted out of the living area, and returned with a tray of food. Placing it down, she took a seat near Shigure, who complimented her on the meal.

Haru had been watching the snow fall outside, through the small gap in the front door, his chin rested on his hand.

"Haru" Yuki prodded the ox on the shoulder, "breakfast"

The grey eyed teen lifted his head lazily, turning his vision towards the food in front of him. Slowly, he picked up the chopsticks and, after a moment of contemplation, he prodded some of the rice around in the bowl, before leaving the chopsticks in the bowl and resuming earlier posture. Yuki looked on in slight confusion at the ox's lack of appetite.

_Wonder what's wrong…_ Yuki thought, darting his eyes back to his food.

"Oi. You gonna eat that?" Kyo practically yelled across the table, seeing this as the only way of snapping Haru out of his daze.

"Hmm?"

"Never mind" The red head reached across the table, pulling the barely touched meal towards him from in front of Haru, who didn't seem to mind.

"Pig" Yuki sneered, his eyes following the bowl that was slowly being dragged away from the ox.

"Where?"

The rat simply rolled his eyes.

"Oh my, look at the time! Alright you lot, off to school!" Shigure clapped his dismissal of the teenagers sitting at the table, jumping up to carry the dishes to the kitchen- (" Oh, no no, I'll do that, Shigure- san!")

"Yuki, I'll be out today. So no messing up the house and no inviting strangers in. And if Aya drops by, tell him I'm at Mitsu's. I'm sure she'd love to see him again!" the dog said cheerfully.

Haru looked up drowsily at the canine,

"Yuki's staying home?" he questioned, having been oblivious to most of the conversation that morning.

"Indeed he is" Shigure nodded.

"I'm staying home too, then"

"Afraid it does't work like that, Haru. You need an education."

Yuki got slowly to his feet, his mind set on getting to his bedroom with little to no harm done to him. Unfortunately, as he moved forwards, he felt two arms wrap themselves tightly around his right leg, effectively preventing him from going any further.

"I'm staying home with Yuki. Someone has to take care of him, if something happens," the ox stated, tightening his grip further.

Yuki sighed in exhaustion. He'd gotten very little sleep the night before, due to his condition, and he wasn't particularly happy about having someone cling to his leg at seven in the morning.

"Let go, Haru" the pale haired teen mumbled, giving his leg a shake to free himself from Haru's grip. Haru flatly refused to let go.

Shigure scratched his head in thought. On one hand, Haru should really be going to school. On the other…it…might be interesting to let the ox stay home with Yuki…all alone…with…no one around… And it was not like either himself or Haru had a reputation to uphold or anything.

The dog gave a quiet chuckle as he nodded in agreement to the vile little voice inside his head that couldn't possibly be his conscious… only to find Yuki glaring dangerously at him.

"Very well, Haru. Take…_good care _of him" Shigure smiled, trying not to show the expression on his face as that same voice cackled with glee, and ignoring Yuki's murderous expression.

Shrugging his coat on over his suit, the dog slipped his shoes on before opening the door.

"Well, have fun kiddies!" and with that, he had slid the door closed behind him, and was off.

Tohru was next to toddle to the front exit, after retrieving hers and Kyo's bags.

"I hope you feel better soon, Yuki- kun! Take good care of him, Haru-kun!" she chirped happily, sliding the door open.

Kyo simply grunted, getting up to follow the bouncy girl outside.

The door closed behind the duo, leaving Yuki to deal with the clingy Haru, who still had hold of his leg.

"Haru…you can let go now."

The grey eyed teen still had his vision fixed on the spot Shigure had been. He had tuned out ages ago.

"Haru" Yuki said a little more forcefully.

"Hmm?"

"Let. Go"

The arms restricting the boy's movement were instantly removed, and Haru looked up with a slightly sulky expression.

"Thank you" Yuki sighed, stepping past the ox and towards the stairs. As he reached the top, he looked back down the stairs, rather surprised Haru hadn't followed him. Looking over his shoulder again, just to make sure, he continued into his room and closed the door behind him.

Haru wriggled his way further under the table, lying himself flat on his stomach, letting the warmth envelope him. He couldn't seem to wake himself up properly this morning. Then again, he was out of it on most days, so, today really shouldn't have been any different. Still…there's a difference between being happily dazed, and out of it. And then there was that feeling like a rather inconsiderate someone had just unloaded a wheelbarrow full of brick onto your shoulders, and attempted to glue your eyelids shut. Today was one of those days.

Sliding out from under the kotatsu, the ox tensed as the cold air hit him. It was _freezing_. Which was why he questioned himself as his feet began to take him outside. Sliding the front door closed behind him, the ox gazed up at the dull grey sky with white flurries of snow drifting down, the small white specs pooling together on the ground to create a cover of cold white carpet.

Haru made his way to the edge of the veranda, his long clothes not doing much to shield him from the cold. His head was feeling too cloudy this morning for him to care that a few soft drops of snow had floated onto this white hair. Maybe he was coming down with something? It _had _been very cold, and Haru had been getting around in summer clothes for most of the time he had been staying in Shigure's house. Why? Well, he wasn't very susceptible to the cold, so he completely disregarded that his organs might be freezing over, and didn't bother to rug up. It seemed that his body had finally had enough of being ignored, and opened the door to the nasty little flu germs that had been lurking about.

Haru gave a light sneeze, bringing a sleeve up to rub at his nose. Thinking nothing of his steadily blurring vision, the ox tilted his head upwards to gaze at the sky with a happily dazed expression.

The rat had hidden himself under the covers, curled up near the pillow. Unlike Haru, the cold effected Yuki in a rather noticeable manner. Being the fragile build he was, the chilling temperatures went right through him. Eyes shut lightly in a rather uncomfortable sleep, the rat had pulled his knees closer to his chest, in an attempt to keep warm. His breathing was still constricted, and the freezing air around him wasn't helping much.

Haru slid in through the front door, brushing the snow from his hair and clothes and stepping towards the stair case in a rather groggy fashion. After taking a good five more minutes to locate Yuki's bedroom door, he slowly slid it open. His eyes lingered on the small tuft of grey-purple hair poking out from under the blankets, and a small smile curved his lips. _(A/N: Yuki's hair STILL looks grey to me…not purple. But, to keep everyone happy, I'll say it's purple, so Chan, you can put that chainsaw down . )_

His next thoughts turned to the open window, where the snow was creeping in on the icy breeze. Shuffling slowly across the room, the ox tugged at the handles on the window, pulling them closed with a light thud. Yuki stirred, burying his head further under the pillow and tucking his hands up near his face. He looked almost angelic, minus the discomfort on his face from lack of warmth. Moving forwards, Haru's hand paused over the edge of the covers. His eyes darted back towards the sleeping boy hesitantly, then back to his hand, where he continued to pull the blanket back.

Stealthily, he slipped under the cool linen, making sure not to wake the sleeping boy beside him. Yuki's troubled expression softened as the new source of warmth reached his senses. Slowly he reached a cold hand out towards it, taking hold of Harus shirt and shifting closer, his eyes still closed. The pale haired boy, having now positioned himself with his head nestled into Haru's chest, looked quite content, his facial expression softening into a more peaceful one.

_It's just a pity he has no idea what he's doing…That he's asleep…_ Haru let out a quiet sigh, feeling the boys form shift beside him, breathing gently, sleeping soundly…

But as he felt a hand snake its way around his waist, he was instantly pulled from his thoughts. He could feel his muscles tense at the boys touch. Not to mention that threatening voice in the back of his head that could only be identified as his black personality, telling him to put his hands somewhere he really _shouldn't. _Diverting his eyes to the door, he tried his best to ignore the rat- cursed beside him, who was beginning to look more and more irresistible.

**Such a compromising position…Let's have some fun, shall we?**

Purple eyes snapped open and Yuki glared up to see two grey orbs staring down on him. "Haru, I'm trying to sleep. Couldn't you save this for some other ti-"

But Black Haru wasted no time in getting what he wanted. Leaning forwards over the boy beneath him, he pressed his lips roughly against Yuki's, preventing him from finishing his sentence. The rat froze in shock, his brain emptying of every thought it had once been entertaining. For the first few seconds, he was staring at Haru's closed eyelids, before the ox's dark lashes slowly flickered up to show his leering grey eyes staring straight into the rats purple ones. A sly hand found its way to Yuki's hips, sliding up his side and over his stomach.

Now, it would be a slight exaggeration of the truth if one were to say Yuki didn't like this sudden advance, but it would also be lying to say it wasn't making him feel slightly uncomfortable. The look in Haru's eyes was most intimidating… but at the same time, also quite entrancing. Yuki, to his confusion, found it impossible to tear his eyes away from the other's steady gaze.

Black Haru's amused look intensified at the rat's lack of negative responses, and took this sign as a que to push Yuki's earlier limits a bit… see what he could get away with. Sliding his hand back down the boy's stomach, he deepened the kiss, smirking as he felt the boy beneath him shudder.

Yuki was running rather short on air now, attempting to pull away from Haru, as well as willing his brain to start functioning properly again. His hands working at throwing Haru off of him and he managed to free his mouth. Gasping for air, Yuki glared up at the boy with the most venomous expression he could muster.

"Not working, Yuki." Black muttered, leaning down to whisper into the rats ear, "You look cute no matter what expression you wear"

Well, Yuki's plan had just flown out the window. The 'glare-at-him-until-he-goes-away' idea obviously wasn't going to work, and he had discovered from past experiences that trying to throw Haru off his body only provoked him further. So… what now? Haru's hand was moving further and further…downwards, and he had still to find a course of action!

_Oh damn…Think Yuki…THINK!_ his brain yelled at him. But there's a definite time for a conscious reaction, and a definite time for a reflex reaction. In this instance, when one's brain is not functioning properly, and a rather hot cousin is inflicting (unwanted, of course…) affections upon one's body… you have to rely on instincts to see you though.

Reaching a hand up, Yuki positioned it on the back of Haru's neck, using it to pull himself upwards. Closing his eyes, the rat pressed his lips gently against the ox's. The two-toned haired teen froze _(A/N: try saying that really fast xD )- _kissing him back was the last thing he had been expecting Yuki to do…

_Nice one, rat-boy_, His mind was…sneering at him?

Quickly, Yuki pulled away, his eyes darting to Haru's in search of some form of conformation.

White Haru looked down at him with an expression of absolute shock. He didn't understand Yuki's sudden movements, having only just been allowed back into a conscious state seconds ago.

"Yu…ki…?"

The rat let out a sigh, lowering his head to rest back on the pillow. Close one. Very close.

Yuki stumbled downstairs. He was feeling slightly light headed from…the cold? His eyes scanned the hall lazily. Right into the living room, or left into the kitchen?…or…was it…no…left into the…

Yuki grumbled in frustration, lifting a hand to massage his temples. His mind had already been fuzzy from his condition… let alone going and pulling a stunt like _that_! What had he been _thinking_! Wait, that must have been the thing, he _hadn't_ been thinking. Yeah…It was all an act of self defense. Nothing more. Not feeling one bit convinced about his sad excuse for an excuse, he trudged off to the kotatsu. He loved the kotatsu on days like this. It was warm, comfortable, and didn't try to straddle him. Perfect. Slipping under it, his eyes came into focus with a small flashing light, on that was situated next to the phone. An answering machine? Since when?

The prince was quite puzzled as to exactly _when_ Shigure had purchased one, and _why _he hadn't run around the house to tell everyone he could find of the lovely new device that would save his awkward pick-the-phone-up-to-find-it-is-Mi-on-the-other-end-and-the-manuscript-(which was not finished)-was-overdue, moments. Regardless, Yuki got to his feet (reluctantly) and shuffled towards the machine. He knew how to work one. Or at least, he thought he did. And after cursing at the number of small buttons it possessed, he managed to find the 'play' button.

"_One message, received at: 10:30-am…_" the voice made Yuki jump slightly, but his eyes remained fixed on the small box, that continued to talk. There was a small beep, before an unrecognizable voice emitted from the speakers.

"_Shigure. Just ringing to check up on Haru. Hope he hasn't been causing any trouble. I'm sorry just to dump him on you like that. But he was just becoming too much to handle. Please, if he becomes too much trouble, send him else-where, we won't be back for a fair while. Thank you again for agreeing to look after him. I'll call again soon_"

There was a crackling sound, and the phone line went dead. Another beep sounded, and the robotic ladies voice informed the startled looking Yuki that the message had ended. The rat stared at the answering machine for a moment longer. He didn't quite understand why the voice had sounded so…fed up. But, it most certainly didn't sound like Hatori. And the person had stated that "_**WE **won't be back for a fair while"…_

Haru's feet had come to a halt, refusing to move any further down the stairs as his ears picked up the sound of the message Yuki had been listening to. Yuki may have had no idea who it had been, but Haru was all too aware of who it was. He gave a steady sigh, as he continued to walk down the stairs, Yuki coming into view as he rounded the corner. Fixing his usual happily dazed expression on his face, he came to a stop in front of Yuki,

"Who was that?" Haru smiled, watching as the rat quickly tore his vision from the machine, to face his cousin.

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Yaaaaaaaaaaay! Hope ya liked it . I'll wait for a while before writing chapter 7. So if I get enough reviews, I'll post the next chapter! Argh, and I need to think of a summary for this damned story . Which I will work on when I've posted this! ( I really suck at writting summaries .) Anyways, thanks for reading! And I hope all of ya have a good weekend!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Oh.My.GOD, don't kill me...Oh, don't own it .;;**

-dodges sharp objects- ...I'm baaaack! Miss me? Ok, ok, so...a year or so is just REDICLOUS and for those of you who still recieved e-mails saying "She's finally UPDATED IT, zomg", you deserve some kind of award! See, I lost interest in writing it for a while, so I just...stopped. I was going to discontinue it, and post saying "Sorry guys, no can do!" but after logging back in and checking the reviews I had on this story (44, thank you aaaaall!) I had a change of heart, and thought "I can't let them down! Even if it HAS been a year!!...I'm such a horrible person!" And thus chapter 7 was born. So, after waiting for so long ( and probably forgetting this story even existed xD ) here it is! Enjoy!!

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Chapter 7 

_Tea_

'"_Who was that?" Haru smiled, watching as the rat quickly tore his vision from the machine, to face his cousin.'_

"I'm not sure, but it was for Shigure, I really shouldn't listen to other people's messages…" Yuki replied, his eyes wandering to the floor.

_'But he was just becoming too much to handle. Please, if he becomes too much trouble, send him elsewhere…'_

Should he ask?

Why were they angry with Haru? The ox _had_ shown up on their doorstep without any notice at all, and without an explanation…

"Hey, Haru…"

"Hmm?"

"Do you…um…" Yuki paused, his eyes shifting uneasily "...want some tea?"

"Yeah, sure" Haru smiled, following the rat into the kitchen.

Yuki busied himself with finding the cups and kettle, while Haru simply watched.

The ox's mind continued to repeat the message, over and over. Haru let out a quiet sigh, raising a hand to rub his eyes. Yuki looked over his shoulder, his hand poised over the kettle's handle. His conscience was still arguing over whether he should say something. Ask something. Would it make matters worse? Or possible help mend them?

Deciding to dismiss it all together until the task at hand had been completed, he proceeded to pour the boiling water into the two cups. Warm tea always helped on cold days like this.

Once both were seated snugly under the kotatsu, silence fell over them. With Yuki's mind fixed on the event beforehand, involving a hormone driven black Haru, while Haru's mind lingered on the message. Both now stared blankly out the front door that had been gently blown open by the breeze, it's wooden frame still askew from Mitsu's earlier wrath.

Yuki's eyes wandered back to Haru after his train of thought had finally sped from his mind.

Haru looked as though he was about to fall asleep, his eyes lolling shut, then jolting back open. The tea had obviously had the desired affect, and the kotatsu was only helping. The ox slowly let his eyes fall closed, his arms folding on the table to make a resting place for his head.

Yuki watched the boy drift into a light sleep, his eyes not once leaving Haru's face. He could find no way of clearing his mind of the confusing thoughts that were still lingering around, disturbing his usual absent-minded ponderings. Sighing, the rat placed the tea cup down on the table, being careful not to wake the ox, he outstretched a hand, and slowly, ever so carefully, ran it gently through the teen's soft grey hair. Haru gave a slight twitch, but didn't show signs of waking. So the rat continued. With one hand propping his head up, he let the other stroke through Haru's hair, his face maintaining a sleepy expression. The ox looked rather relaxed now, a small smile occupying his lips.

It wasn't long before the sleepy atmosphere finally took control of the rat's body, and he felt his posture slouch. The hand that had been running through Haru's hair dropped to rest on the ox's arm, and Yuki's head dropped to rest on the kotatsu. Of course, the scene didn't shock the dog one bit when he slid the front door open, having returned -amazingly- unscratched from his trip to Mitsu's. Ayame stepped in behind the dark haired man, and his insides instantly swelled with happiness.

"Look at that, 'Gure! My dear little brother is finally opening his heart to someone!!" the snake exclaimed, clasping his hands together in front of his mouth. It was very lucky for Ayame, that Yuki was still sleeping peacefully, his hand still draped over Haru's arm.

"Come now, Aya, we don't want to disturb their sleep" Shigure said quietly, and the snake nodded, following the dog silently into his study.

It wasn't until late afternoon that Kyo and Tohru returned home, the cat in his usual snappy mood which only escalated when he opened the front door. Tohru poked her head over the cat's shoulder to see what had suddenly caused the red head to bristle.

"Oh, it's good to see Yuki is resting!" she smiled, not at all seeing anything abnormal about the scene. Smiling, she toddled her way upstairs to begin study for an exam, while Kyo threw his bag down at the entrance, kicked his shoes off, and went up to his room to rest.

The noise stirred Haru awake, and he groggily opened his eyes, waiting a while for his senses to wake. The first thing he noticed was the aching pain in his back from sleeping with his upper half bent over a table, but the next thing he noticed completely cancelled the first out. The hand resting on his arm reached his nervous system like a Mexican wave of fire that instantly warmed his whole body. He watched the sleeping boy through hazy eyes for a moment, until said teen twitched awake when a rather loud laugh sounded from Shigure's study that was undoubtable Ayame.

"Damn…him…" Yuki slurred, lifting his head to glare at the office door. The rest of his body still numb from a rather uncomfortable sleeping position, Yuki didn't notice his hand was still lingering around Haru's shoulder until he tried to move his fingers. Instantly the rat pulled away, avoiding eye contact.

"S-sorry" he muttered, memories swimming back into his head of his fingers gliding through the ox's silky hair. Just the thought of it made his face flush red. Haru simple smiled, fixing his posture so he was sitting completely upright.

"Feel better?" Haru asked, looking lazily at Yuki who was still battling with his mind.

"Yeah…"

"That's good!" the ox-cursed got steadily to his feet, and headed into the kitchen, leaving Yuki to stare after him for a moment.

What had he been THINKING?! Going and doing something like that…Now Haru probably had the complete WRONG idea about…things…

"Here" Haru returned shortly after he left, holding two cups, one of which he handed to Yuki.

"Tea's usually good when you're not feeling well" the ox smiled, taking a sip of his own. The rat nodded in thanks and began to drink. Moments later the door to Shigure's office burst open, and an overly ecstatic Ayame waltzed out, coming to a stop at the sight of his brother.

"Yuki!" he exclaimed, taking a bold step forward, "It's good to see you've finally woken up! How are you feeling? I do hope you're not over exerting yourself in such a condition!"

"I'm fine, Ayame" Yuki sneered, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as they fell upon his frivolous brother.

"Wonderful, wonderful! Well, do be careful. Good day!" and the snake strode out the already open front door, closing it behind him. Yuki dismissed the encounter and went back to sipping his tea, his eyes fixed on one of the ornaments Shigure had very courageously risked displaying again.

"Afternoon, you two" Shigure greeted them happily, walking over to the kitchen whilst fixing his yukata back in place. The two teens nodded in reply, still too lazy/ embarrassed about other issues, to notice anyone else's existence. The dog smiled deviously to himself as he poked around the cupboards for a spare tea cup. This just kept getting more and more interesting.

When Tohru finally announced dinner was ready (she had come downstairs to prepare it shortly after Shigure had finished making himself tea), Kyo was forced to come down from his room to join the rest of the group at the table. They ate in a civilised manner, which amazingly wasn't interrupted by any flying objects, cursing or glaring. And the cat was unusually quiet this meal time, keeping his eyes on his food. The silence provoked a few unvoiced questions from the ox, who was always quite good at picking up on other's feelings. But he dismissed the rather unsettling assumption he had made in his head and continued eating. It wasn't at all unusual that Yuki wasn't talking. He never spoke unless it was absolutely necessary or benefited him in some way. So no one questioned him. But for once, he wasn't thinking about how much he hated the cat, or how he was going to kick him into next year. His mind had wandered back to the message. He knew he shouldn't…but he had to ask…

When everyone else had staggered off to their rooms, Haru and Yuki also decided to call it a night, after a few games of Dai Hin Min. Haru had won at least five times, and Yuki had gotten sick of loosing. When they were both in bed, Yuki steadily turned his vision towards Haru, who was setting the alarm clock to wake them tomorrow.

"Haru…" he began, trying to work up the courage to delve into such a topic.

"Hmm?"

"Um…I was just wondering if…well, that message…"

Haru seemed to freeze momentarily at the word, but let it pass quickly before noticed.

"What about it?" Haru asked in a bemused tone, placing the clock on Yuki's bed side table and sitting up to look at the rat.

"I just…was wondering…if you knew who it was…?"

Haru pondered for a moment, the two way decision running through his mind. Yuki watched him intently, now worrying if he'd done the wrong thing by asking.

Slowly, Haru nodded,

"Yeah, I know who it was…"

* * *

Hazah D Hope you liked it! I apologise for any spelling errors,grammar mistakes, confusing sentence structures, etc. I'm a little rusty. I also apologise for the long wait!! Oh, I'd also like to confirm that I have a full chapter plan now! Maybe that will prevent some of you from slaughtering me! But yes, my story line/structure...thingy, is now all scrawled out on a piece of paper, which I will blue-tac to my computer tower very shortly so I don't loose it! Now I just have to decide whether I should study now or not...I'm applying for a scholarship to Japan, and I have to go to an interview for it on the 9th! I'm so very, very nervouse x.x I've been studying frantically on and off for the past week or so, but I'm still panicking! Anyway, wish me luck xD and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Pleeeeease don't forget to review! Because I luff them lotsly . Anyway, I'm off! Best wishes to you all!

Meeksu


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimeeeeer**: Look, a lawsuit!...Don't own fruitsbasket!

I have the fluuuu dagnamnit. And sports carnival is tomorrow- and I want to go so I can dress up as a pirate and cheer on my team T.T (our team houses have themes every year, and ours this year is pirates! Arrr what luck!) So, I'm dragging myself there, even if I'm half dead!!! But yeah...here's chapter 8- I bet you were thinking I'd never update again, were'nt you! Ahhh yee of little faith. But, here it is. I'm not too happy with this one...I don't know...it just seems so...mellow dramatic...But! Everyone has to have downtime sometimes, even our beloved duo x3 So, I will ramble no longer! Enjoy! And review! Or ye shall walk the plank, and vanish into the depths of Davie Jone's' locker! :3

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Chapter 8

Yuki looked down at Haru, trying to study his expression. There was a rather long pause before Haru continued,

"That was my mum."

"Your mum?"

"Yeah…I know you havn't seen her in years. You've probably forgotten what she looks like"

"I…remember vaguely" Yuki replied, trying to stir the image in his mind to the surface. But it was too foggy of a memory.

"…What happened?" the rat-cursed figured he'd just get it out in the air before it caused him to implode from the tense atmosphere.

More hesitation from the ox, and more worry from the rat, but Haru managed to press on,

"It happened a while ago now…But for a long time, my black personality kept getting out somehow…more than usual. I couldn't seem to control it at all"

Yuki thought back. It had been at least two weeks or more since Haru had shown up at their door. But he could remember, a few months before Haru had turned up, he hadn't seen the ox much at all. His attendance at school had been slacking, and he never made house calls.

"So that's why…" Yuki thought out loud.

"That's why I hadn't been at school. My parents thought it best for me to wait it off, rather than put my classmates in danger."

Yuki let out a small sigh. He always worried when the ox wasn't at school. He wasn't quite sure WHY he cared, but there was always that small pang of concern when a gleeful Haru didn't latch onto him of a morning.

"Is that…why you're staying here?" Yuki questioned, still looking down at the ox, who had since moved his eyes to look at the floor.

"Yeah…It's not that big of a deal, really. Mum just needed a break, I guess"

"She sent you here?"

"Her and dad went with Hatori somewhere, after mum threatened to cast me out"

"Cast you…out?" Yuki almost stuttered. He always remembered Haru's mother to be a loving, kind woman who always encouraged the two boys to spend time together. She said it was good that the rat and the ox could finally get along. She had always been a big fan of zodiac stories, and showed no signs at all of rejecting Haru. It, through anything, always made Yuki feel a little better that Haru would always get the love and care he needed at home, even if things anywhere else went wrong. So Yuki was a little taken aback to hear something like this.

"Mhm…basically she said she'd had enough of it. That I'm too much to look after…" the ox let out a sigh, feeling like a weak idiot for spilling his thoughts. But he had never been one to deny Yuki anything, not even information he wasn't so willing to tell. And so he figured, this time was no exception.

Yuki was ever so slightly lost for words. He wasn't good at comforting people, having never had anyone do the same to him, he had never been taught. But he thought, that maybe just for now, listening might be the best thing.

"Hatori stepped in before anything got too bad. He took my parents away to some…resort place to get some space. He said he's going to talk to them…" Haru added. Yuki could hardly stand the look of hurt in the ox's eyes. It seemed to take hold of Yuki's chest like a claw. He continued to watch, not able to tear his eyes from Haru, as the teen struggled to fight back tears that were rimming his eyes. And you knew _something_ was wrong when Haru ever had a reason to cry.

Yuki simply sat there, searching for words, actions…distractions. Anything.

"Haru…I…"

"Uh, sorry about this. I shouldn't of said anything…" Haru attempted a smile, but it was quickly washed away as tears began to fall silently down his face.

_Well, don't just SIT there, you idiot!_ Yuki mentally kicked himself. Before he knew it, his covers had been pushed back, and he knelt himself down beside the ox, taking a final glimpse at Haru's face before wrapping his arms around the boy's shoulders.

"No need to be sorry" he said quietly, his head rested on Haru's shoulder.

The ox was momentarily overcome by shock, as he registered what Yuki was doing. But after the initial startle, he found himself enclosing his arms around the other boy and hiding his face in the rat's shirt.

"And if it's any consolation…I'll be here for you- no matter what…" Yuki whispered, knowing how corny that had just sounded in his head, and hoped it hadn't sounded so bad to the ox. Seemed like it didn't, because he felt hands tighten their grip on the back of his shirt, and tears leak through the cloth where Haru's head was rested.

"Thanks…" he heard a muffled reply, and smiled softly,

"Anytime"

* * *

And so that concludes chapter 8. Rather short, and rather fluffy. I am eating rice . ...ehem, but yes -points pirate sword- now, review, me hearties, for ye be long dead if ye don't!- I be off now! Must watch Hana Yori Dango (it's a Japanese drama, and it's very addictive o.O ) -wave- have a good weekend!!


	9. Shopping and Other Extreme Sports

**Disclaimer:** I STILL don't own it.

Back again! Thank you very, very, very, very, very much to all my reviewers and people adding this story to story alerts, favourits and such! Makes me uber happy to recieve those emails! Well, chapter 9 is now up and ready to read! Horaaaaaay! I actually gave this one a proper title, in the...little drop down list...with the...yeah- don't ask what possesed me to give it this title, I was high on orange juice at the time. Anyway, yes, much luff to reviewers, and I encourage more, as it motivates me to continue writing! That, and the constant death threats from one of my friends (you know who you are!!) Well, enjoy the chapter! Happy reading to all!

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Chapter 9

_Shopping and other extreme sports_

The morning seemed to dawn all too quickly for the sleeping rat-cursed, who had barely slept a wink all night. He had laid awake long after Haru had drifted off, tossing things over in his head.

What if Momiji's incident repeated itself? What if Haru's mother decided to just, up and leave? What would happen to Haru? Surely they wouldn't leave him in the main house. Not with Akito lurking behind every corner. Surely…

_Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing_

Yuki jumped slightly as the alarm clock on his bedside table started its routine wake up call to all in earshot. Shortly after the rat had silenced the irritating sound, a groan signalled Haru had also been stirred awake.

"Nnn…morning…" came a drowsy greeting from the ox, who rolled over onto his back to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Morning" Yuki replied, sitting up and shivering as the cold morning air hit him.

They sat there for a while, both still trying to will themselves to leave the warmth of their doonas.

"Oi, rat!" Yuki's bedroom door slid open, and an irritated Kyo stepped in just enough to make sure he was heard.

"Shigure says we have to go do the shopping. Tohru went somewhere or something, and we need food. And I'll be damned if I'm doing it on my own."

Yuki covered his face with his hand momentarily to hide the look of utter frustration that ran across his features, before looking back up at the cat,

"Fine. I'll be downstairs in a minute"

Kyo nodded and closed the door, heading off back downstairs to wait.

The rat-cursed regretfully pushed back his covers and got up, ignoring the discomfort and quickly locating suitable clothes. Haru simply tugged his suitcase out from under Yuki's bed and rummaged through it. Shortly after the two were dressed, they met Kyo and Shigure downstairs. The dog was sitting smugly under the kotatsu, book in hand, while Kyo glared at him.

"Don't worry my dear Kyo, I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think it will be" Shigure smiled, turning a page in his novel.

"No, it'll be far worse" Yuki responded in a mono tone.

Glares were exchanged, and the three headed out the door, seen off by a waving dog, who closed the door behind them and approached the phone. Picking up the receiver he dialled a few digits and waited, after a short pause and utters from the other end, Shigure nodded, followed by the reply,  
"Mhm, they just left. I'm sure they'll be gone for at least an hour, if you wanted to come over. I'd love to see you, Ha'ri!"  
"Either way, this is purely a business trip. I'll see you shortly" was the doctor's dry reply, and the line was disconnected.

The dog placed the phone back down on its stand and seated himself back at the kotatsu, flicking through a few pages before he found his place again.

--------------------&()----------------&()------------------&()--------------------&()--------------

The troublesome trio plodded off towards town, no one talking or looking at one another.

The silence continued all the way to the local supermarket, where Kyo was forced to speak when asked to read out the list.

"Rice, radish, onion, pork…"

"I'll get the vegetables" Haru volunteered in an insipid tone, waltzing off towards the large crates at the front of the store.

"I'll get the meat" Yuki stated, striding over to the frozen section. This of course left Kyo to the shelved items.

After the rat had spent quite enough time prying through frozen packages of assorted meats to find the pork, he seized it, fingers numb, and made his way past the isles to find Kyo. The quicker they got this shopping done, the quicker they could get home.

"Who the _HELL_ puts rice on the top shelf? What kind of _IDIOT_ would do that?!?"

It wasn't too hard to find the red head, who was standing in the middle of isle seven, glaring at the packet of rice that was inconveniently placed on the very top shelf, making it almost impossible to reach without some kind of ladder, which was not present at the time.

"What are you cursing about this time?" Yuki asked with disapproving eyes.

"Look!" Kyo waved a finger at the rice, hair bristling on the back of his neck in outrage.

"Is that the only one they have?"

"YES, otherwise I would have gotten another one. I'm not stupid, you know!"

"…" the silver haired teen rolled his eyes at his cousin's incompetence, walking towards him to stare up at the offending rice packet that was innocently staring down at them from an out of reach height.

"…Give me a leg up" the rat stated, looking over at the cat.

"What?"

"Miss Honda needs that rice, so we have to get it. Now give me a leg up"

Kyo hesitated for a moment, looking both ways down the isle desperately, as if a ladder may just come rushing towards him to save him this humiliation. No such luck.

Grimacing, the cat laid his hands out, and Yuki pressed a foot into them, making sure the red head wasn't going to try anything stupid. Looking most indignant, Kyo hoisted Yuki up past the lower few shelves, slightly surprised at how light the boy was.

"Higher" Yuki said, arms reached upwards, "Come on, haven't you been training in the mountains all that time? One would think you'd have gained some strength"

"Yeah, well maybe you just need to loose some weight!" the cat spat back, glaring up in disgust at Yuki, who was inches from his goal. The rat let out an irritated sigh, the only thing stopping him from simply kicking the cat in the head was the thought of Tohru's disappointed face if he didn't bring back that rice.

-----------------&()-------------------&()------------------&()--------------------&()--------------------

A knock at the door and Shigure was on his feet in an instant.

Sliding open said door, he was greeted by the stoic face of Hatori, who stepped inside without a second glance.

"Well hello to you, too" Shigure sighed, following the doctor into his office.

Both sat down, Shigure at his desk, with Hatori facing him in the chair opposite.

"Didn't take you too long to get here, how far out of town did you take them?"  
"Only to the hot springs on the boarders" the dragon replied, not breaking eye contact.

"How are things going?" Shigure asked, keeping his gaze steady,

"Hatsuharu's mother seems to be at wits end, and as a consequence, so does his father."

"I see…"

"I've been doing everything I can, and I honestly never expected it to take anywhere near this long. I don't want to have to erase their memories, the effects on Haru could be detrimental. However, if they get any worse, or don't at least improve, I'm going to start considering" Hatori's expression had hardened, if it were possible, and worry seemed to etch his eyes, despite his efforts to block it out.

"…Strange, I never would have pictured her to be the type to give up. Nor Hatsuharu's father. They both seemed so strong, even when Haru went through his black fazes." Shigure commented, resting his chin in his hand, leaning his elbow on the desk in front of him for support.

"I was under the same impression" Hatori continued, "But there's still hope. I'm sure it shouldn't have to come to anything resulting in memory loss."

"I hope not" Shigure agreed, leaning back in his chair now, "what's going to happen with Haru in the meantime?"  
"He will stay here until further notice, he seems to be happy here."

The dog-cursed nodded, and after a lengthy sigh, his quirky smile returned to his face. Raising his eyebrows, he turned his vision back to Hatori,

"So…tea?"

-------------------&()--------------------&()--------------------&()--------------------

"Higher…higher…little more…got it! Ah-!"

Kyo's arms had reached their limit, his muscles finally giving way, leaving Yuki to fall the rest of the distance to the isle floor.

Several shoppers in the isle looked over in shock as the echoing sound of a body hitting the hard concrete floor sounded through the area. A plump woman in a muumuu rushed over with a worried look on her face, and a few others followed to inspect the scene. Kyo, haven fallen backwards himself- his head meeting with the floor- took a while to regain his bearings. But once his eyes had shot open again, his instant reaction was to sit bolt upright and glare at anyone intruding his personal bubble.

"Are you two boys ok?" the woman in a muumuu asked, leaning closer.

"Yeah, we're…Yuki?" Kyo had turned to see the silver haired teen lying flat on his back, eyes closed, and what looked like blood trickling from the back of his head, making a steady river on the shiny ground beneath them.

"…Crap. Oi, Yuki, wake up!"

* * *

-Gasp- Oh my. Yuki has a head wound! Poor guy...let's hope he doesn't die- more for my sake than his, because I believe I'd have a swarm of angry fangirls on my hands if anything horrid were to happen to him...speaking of which, don't kill me!! Moving onto recent ramblings, though- I got me a job! Mwahaha, I have 3 in-store inductions next week, which I am ACTUALLY looking forward to! I'm also hooked on the song 'Signal' by Kattun. I don't even know why...but it's...so...catchy...-twitch- I'm blaming Ajah for this, as she was playing it on repeat at my house on the weekend! Anyway, pleeeeease review- don't just look at that 'submit review' button, click it! It's quite fun! (well, actually, I think it's a 'go' button..but...) Well, that's all for now- I will get to work on chapter 10 when I get me some free time . Until then, have a good week/weekend, all! -wave- 


	10. Notice

Alright, don't kill me!

But I'm discontinuing this fan fiction. I was going to post the unfinished chapter, but that would seem cruel... Before you toss that axe at me, hear me out! Here's the thing: Its been aeons since I've actually updated, and the inspiration has left me completely! That, and I'm starting a new story, which I will post in compensation. For those of you who know Kingdom Hearts and KH2 (for those of you who don't, GO BUY IT NOW!) on PS2, I'm writing a Kingdom Hearts 2 based fan fiction on request of a friend of mine. So take a look! And Don't forget to review, if you read it! Don't just add it to favourites(although, that's good, too), I need to know your opinions and suggestions!

Anyway, thank you to all those who reviewed and added to favourites and such! It makes me happy to get all those emails . Once again, my apologies. But I hope all of you are enjoying your holidays! (we're still on holidays here in Australia, I'm not sure about the rest of the world). And hope to hear from some of you once I get this other fic up and running! (sorry this notice is a little rushed, it's 1am, and I'm a bit sleepy )

Until then! -wave-


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